On Land represented a significant move away from the strategies Brian Eno had employed in earlier ambient releases such as Discreet Music and Music for Airports.
Instead of using a specific process to generate music with minimal interference from the composer, he here opts for a more gestural and intuitive approach, creating dreamy pictures of some specific geographical points or evocative memories of them.
It's quite easy to imagine these works as soundtracks to mysterious footage of imprecisely glimpsed landscapes.
On Land is an album that would become highly influential with the rising tide of new age composers, though few if any would capture the chilly beauty or latent romanticism that is part and parcel of Eno.
The first piece, "Lizard Point," includes an early recorded performance of Bill Laswell on bass, and one imagines that his association with Eno was a crucial factor in the ambient directions his later work would sometimes take.
On Land remains a landmark event in the genre, as well as one of its high-water marks, and sounds entirely up to date 20 years after its initial release.
A superb effort.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lizard PointMichael Beinhorn, Brian Eno, Axel Gros, Bill Laswell | Brian Eno | Play | 04:33 | 10 MB | 0 MB |
| 2 | Tal CoatBrian Eno | Brian Eno | Play | 05:27 | 12 MB | 0 MB |
| 3 | ShadowBrian Eno | Brian Eno | Play | 03:00 | 6 MB | 0 MB |
| 4 | Lantern MarshBrian Eno | Brian Eno | Play | 05:33 | 12 MB | 0 MB |
| 5 | Unfamiliar Wind (Leeks Hills)Brian Eno | Brian Eno | Play | 05:26 | 12 MB | 0 MB |
| 6 | A ClearingBrian Eno | Brian Eno | Play | 04:08 | 9 MB | 0 MB |
| 7 | Dunwich Beach, Autumn, 1960Brian Eno | Brian Eno | Play | 07:09 | 16 MB | 0 MB |
| 35 mins | 80 MB | |||||
| 0 mins | 0 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Michael Beinhorn | Composer, Musician, Synthesizer |
| 2 | Martin Bisi | Engineer |
| 3 | Michael Brook | Guitar, Musician |
| 4 | Greg Calbi | Mastering |
| 5 | Chong-Donnie | Typography |
| 6 | Andrew Day | Redesign |
| 7 | Brian Eno | Artwork, Bass, Composer, Design, Electronics, Keyboards, Liner Notes, Primary Artist, Producer, Synthesizer, Text, Treatments, Vocals |
| 8 | Axel Gros | Composer, Guitar, Musician |
| 9 | Jon Hassell | Guest Artist, Musician, Trumpet |
| 10 | Simon Heyworth | Mastering |
| 11 | Dave Hill | Electronics |
| 12 | Daniel Lanois | Engineer, Equalization, Musician |
| 13 | Julie Last | Engineer |
| 14 | Bill Laswell | Bass, Composer, Guest Artist, Musician |
| 15 | Andy Lydon | Engineer |
| 16 | Felipe Orrego | Engineer, Nature Recorder |
| 17 | Johnny Potoker | Engineer |
| 18 | Barry Sage | Engineer |
| 19 | Cheryl Smith | Engineer |
| 20 | Neal Teeman | Engineer |
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |
| CD Quality | FLAC | 16bit 44.1kHz | FLAC is an audio coding format which uses lossless compression. Digital audio in FLAC format has a smaller size and retains the same quality of the original Compact Disc (CD). |